


Something Like Love (A God AU)

by BiEnbyNamedCasey (orphan_account)



Category: markiplier - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Turn back, Welcome to OC Hell, god AU, mention of M&Ms and M&M sensing powers, mentions of the end of the world at the beginning of the fic, theres angst, theres fluff, theres godly powers, uuuuh this was inspired by a night VC chat on discord, uuuuuuuh, yeah - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-13
Updated: 2018-11-12
Packaged: 2019-06-26 16:19:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15666807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/BiEnbyNamedCasey
Summary: A human and a god meet. Shenanigans ensue.





	1. The End

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [this writing prompts story](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/406134) by LinkedSoul. 

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which someone saves all of humanity with the few items in their pocket.

It was raining out. Error had never liked the rain. Rain gets everything wet and it makes machines rust. That's what was going through her head as she made her way to the tallest building on the block. People surged around her, trying to find shelter from the rain. She saw a woman with her kid and a man with his arms thrown over his head. Music played over the chaos, and Error hummed along with the tune.

She walked through the space where doors once were. She saw them tossed a few feet away. The glass was shattered all over the floor. He must have thrown them off in a fit of rage. She walked over to elevators, trying each of them individually. The last elevator worked by some miraculous chance.

On the way up, she felt around in her pocket. She felt her gift card wallet instead of her phone. "Goddamnit," She whispered to herself. She had left her phone on the counter back at her apartment. It didn't matter now, so she had to do this with what she had. The terrible elevator music was drowned out by the music in her ears. She took a deep breath as the elevator arrived on the roof.

The wind rushed past the open elevator doors. She saw a silhouette of a man standing at the edge of the building. He was looking down at the city below. Error sighed and stepped out of the elevator. In an instant, the wind pushed at her, almost sending her toppling over. She managed to regain her balance before falling. She stuffed her hands in her jacket and made her way over to him.

The pace she took there was slow, but very steady. After almost an eternity, she stood behind the man. She tapped his shoulder. "Hey." She shouted over the rain and thunder.

The man turned around to face her. Crystal blue eyes met hers. They almost seemed to draw her in, decades old and yet perfect. Just like him. She shook the thought out of her head. "What do you want?" The man seemed to mutter. All of the rain around them had seemed to stopped making noise.

"I wanted to give you," she rifled through her pockets, "uh, hold on, there it is!" She stuck out a hand with 18¢ in it.

The man looked down at her hand. "...it's...just eighteen cents." He looked back up at her, confusion written clearly on his face.

"Remember, like, last week you gave me eighteen cents for a coffee? I had to return the favor." She smiled brightly at him.

The man stared at her for a few long seconds more, and then his eyes took on a fond light. "If my memory is correct, that 'last week' was three years ago."

She nodded. "I always pay my dues. You know that, Host." The Host took the coins and turned away from her. She stepped beside him and offered an earbud. The same song had been playing since forever, but that was because Error had managed to break it while she was tinkering with it. The Host took the earbud and put it in his ear. He slipped his hand around hers. They stood there for a few minutes, just enjoying the silence and chaos around them.

It was The Host's voice that broke the silence. "You have M&Ms, don't you?"

"Yep!" Error said cheerfully, pulling out a fun-sized bag of M&Ms. "I thought you'd notice sooner, with all of your powers and stuff. M&M sensing powers. That would make the world a better place."

The Host chuckled at her cheeriness. "The world...can't be worse than it is."

Error's smile fell. "Ah, yes, that's what," She paused, gesturing at the city in front of her, "this is about."

He let out a sad sigh. His shoulders slumped, and his mask of composure slipped away. "The world is too rotten to move on, you know this. I've been here since the beginning, and there's been too many atrocities to count. Wars, genocides, murder, corruption, cruelty, pain, blood..." He stopped talking, knowing that it would take forever to list everything mankind had done. He looked over at Error, his eyes filled with grief and sorrow. She didn't look at him. "I tried to help them, and they refused to cooperate."

"I know."

"That's why I have to end it. So no one else will get hurt."

"True."

The silence returned again. All over, people were milling about, trying to make it to work or back home on time. The two on the rooftop looked over a city that was on its final day. No one knew that the end was here, but here it was. Error's face grew into a frown.

"But it's not right." She took her hand from his and turned to him. "There's people out there who haven't gotten a chance to be happy, a chance to be free. And you want to deny them that chance?"

The Host sighed. "Yes, but it's for the best. A sacrifice for wiping out the rest of the world. Humans are just...hopeless."

Error crossed her arms. "I'm human."

The Host glanced at her. "You're different," he said, his expression bitter.

"No I'm not. I was born into this world. I'm not bad, but I'm not the best either." She stated calmly.

"You're not _rotten._ " He snapped at her.

"If humanity is born rotten, then yes, I am." They stared at each other for what seemed like hours.

Eventually, The Host sighed. "Yes, you are." Error smiled and opened the bag of M&Ms, placing it between the two. The Host took one and popped it into his mouth.

After thoughtfully chewing on the M&M, The Host said, "But it would be easier if everyone was like you."

Error laughed. "Haven't I given you enough troubles? Besides, everyone would forget about their gift cards."

The Host rolled his eyes, "Don't tell me you found _more_ of them."

Error smiled widely and pulled out her gift card wallet. She opened it and showed The Host what was inside. He glanced at it, then took another M&M in order to hide his smile. "There's plenty more where that came from," Error winked.

"I bet most of them are expired."

"But not _all_ of them." She said joyfully.

"...you're too positive."

Error could see the sadness in his eyes, the millennia old tiredness. She wanted to hug him and never let go. But not yet, she still had to stop the world from ending.

"It's like eighteen cents, almost nothing, but means something to someone. It's like a wallet full of gift cards, some of them are expired but some _aren't_. It's like a fun-sized bag of M &Ms, there's some you don't like, some you do, and it always brings a smile to you. It's like a broken MP3 player, very broken, but still somehow working!"

Error glanced over to see a tear gently trace The Host's cheek. It flew away in the wind. He turned away from her. She couldn't stop smiling.

"You and your bad metaphors." He croaked, wiping some tears away.

"Hey, those are comparisons and those are _good_." She stated matter-of-factly.

He shook his head lightly, not wanting to loose the earpiece. He turned back to her, unable to stop the tears on his face. "And what if I let this world live on? What happens?" He asked.

Error excitedly started to ramble. "If this world lives on, more people get chances. Chances to be happy, and find a family. A chance to be themselves without fear. A chance to change their ways. A chance to try to make the world better." She couldn't help but start bouncing.

"Those people make me so happy. Them, and the others that make me believe mankind is beautiful. Look at all the people below us! Some of them didn't want to get out of bed this morning, _but they did!_ Also-"

She didn't get to finish her sentence. The Host wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in the crook of her neck. He cried long, broken sobs. It was almost shattering for her to hear. The wind around them died down. She put her cheek on his head and a hand on his arm.

"I want to go home. Your home. Where it's safe." He said between trembling breaths.

"We can do that. I'll see what gift cards are still usable. And we have plenty of M&Ms at home. We can listen to something besides that song and dry off." She said quietly. The Host laughed between sobs. The storm had calmed to a gentle rain. Error had begun to like it.

"How can you have so much _faith_ in mankind?" He asked, his voice barely there.

Error smiled and chuckled. "People can surprise you in good ways if you let them."

Error tied The Host's eye bandages back on, and they left the roof together.


	2. The Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which nightmares happen.

They arrived back at Error's apartment. Error walked over and grabbed her phone. She had three unread messages from her friend, Sean. She sighed and put the phone down. That man was an absolute saint to put up with her stunts. She grabbed The Host's hand and led him to her bedroom.

When they arrived in her bedroom, she began rifling through a box. It was marked 'Andi's stuff.' The Host tilted his head when he saw the writing. "Who's Andi?" he asked. Error visibly froze at the question. She looked down at the box.

"It's just...an old friend." She sighed. She threw some clothes at him. "Go get changed, you're soaking." The Host nodded and went into the bathroom. Error herself changed into some more comfortable clothes. She laid down on her bed and grabbed her laptop. "Let's see if any of these things are good." She grabbed her gift card wallet and began sorting through them.

After a few minutes, The Host came out of the bathroom. "It's all a bit...tight." And it showed. Error looked him up and down.

"Yeah, he was a smaller dude." Error smiled. "Didn't think he was that small though." She shrugged and looked at the time. "Wow, it's getting really late. And I've got work in the morning." She shut down her laptop and stretched. "You can crash on the couch, I'll bring you a blanket and stuff." The Host smiled and exited the room. Error went to her closet. She looked through all the blankets she had, and she chose the fluffiest one she could find. She grabbed a couple pillows and walked into the living room.

The Host was sitting patiently on the couch. Error dumped all of the stuff next to him. "So, you need me to tuck you in, or can you do that yourself?" She asked sarcastically. She put her hands on her hips. The Host laughed.

"Don't worry, I've got this," He said, setting up his bed. Error chuckled.

"Ok. Good night, Host. Sweet dreams." She walked back into her room, flopping onto her bed. She really didn't want to work tomorrow. She eventually fell asleep.

In the middle of the night, she heard a knock on her bedroom door. She looked over to see The Host standing in the doorway. He barely whispered to her, "I had a nightmare and...I don't want to stay out on the couch." He shuffled his feet. "You don't have to let me in." Error sighed.

"Get over here. I guess we're sharing the bed." The Host walked over and climbed under the covers. He stayed on his side of the bed, and she stayed on her side. They fell asleep like that, waiting for the morning to come through.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A shorter chapter, but a bit sweeter.


	3. Flashback

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which dreams reveal the past

It was that day, four years ago. Error and her friend, Andi, were testing the last mech. She was excited, the mech was almost out of testing. She had always wanted to change the world for the better. Hopefully, this would set off all she hoped for. Andi was near the mech's engine, and Error handed him tools every once in a while. He and Error had been longtime friends. They had met through Sean, Andi's brother. They were practically inseparable. The lab around them hustled with activity, other people working on the mech.

A spark from a loose wire fell onto spilled gasoline. It made contact with the engine, blowing it up. All Error saw was white before she blacked out.

She woke up in the hospital. She could hear the steady beep of the heart monitor. It smelled sterile. She always hated the hospital, it was too white. The lights above shone down harshly. She looked over to the side. Outside, she saw the city, still going. A doctor walked in. She turned her head to him.

"You are Erika Porter, right?" The doctor said, looking slightly saddened.

"That's right, what happened?" She asked. Her voice was hoarse. How long had she been out again? She couldn't remember.

"An accident happened at your workplace. We had to remove your left arm and leg. Your eye also seems to have been blinded." He stopped and sat down. Error couldn't believe this. If this had happened to her, and she wasn't inside near the engine...

"Do you know where Andi is? Andi Sauderi?" She asked, eyes widening at the realization that Andi may not have survived.

The doctor looked down at his clipboard. Error felt her heart hammering in her chest. Finally, the doctor spoke in a heavy voice, "I'm sorry, he didn't survive the explosion."

The dream changed.

It was a year since the incident. She had managed to design and create her own robotic prosthetics that looked realistic. She was ordering coffee at the coffee shop. She had forgotten her wallet at home and only had six dollars on her. The cashier finished ringing her up.

"That'll be $6.18, please." The cashier said. Error pulled out the six dollars she had. 

"Goddamnit, I'm short..." She muttered, feeling around her pockets for change. A tap was felt on her shoulder. She turned to see a man with bandages wrapped around his eyes. He handed her eighteen cents and a slip of paper. She gave the coins to the cashier, grabbed her coffee, and walked off. She looked at what the slip of paper.

It was a number with a 'wanna talk sometime?' written next to it. She smiled and stuffed it in her pocket. She sipped her coffee as she walked down the street, a happy bounce in her step.


	4. Work

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which, uuuuugh, work.

Error woke up to the sound of her phone vibrating on her nightstand. As her eyes opened, she recognized that she wasn't looking at her bedroom wall. She was looking at a wall of...cloth? She looked up and then realized that Host had his arms wrapped around her. She started to panic. 'Oh my god, why is he here, why are we in bed, what ha--' Her thoughts were cut short by the realization that her phone had been buzzing on the nightstand. She gently removed herself from Host and looked at the screen. Sean had been spamming her with messages of 'Where are you?!' and 'Holy shit you're fucking late.'

She got up and rushed to her dresser. She didn't mean to sleep through the alarm, she had just been so comfortable while she slept that she didn't hear it. At least, that was the excuse she had. She couldn't really tell anyone that she had managed to prevent the end of the entire world. She slipped on her shirt and wrote down a note for Host, explaining that she would be at work for a while and to call her if he needed anything.

She rushed to her motorcycle and put on her helmet. She drove as fast as she could to work, but she also made sure not to crash into anything. When she reached work, she ran in and sat down at her desk, sending an email to her boss. 'Sorry I was late, I had private matters to attend to. Hopefully, it was no inconvenience.' As she hit send, she felt a wave of relief course through her. She wouldn't lose her job over one little transgression...right?

She barely noticed Sean set down a cup of coffee next to her. All she was thinking about was last night and this morning. Had she really managed to save the world? Someone like her, a fuck up, a no one, saved the world? Now that was an awesome thought.

Sean cleared his throat. "So...why were you late?" He asked, sipping his own coffee.

Error almost jumped when he spoke, she was too deep in thought. "Oh, uh, private business. Nothing you need to know, Sean."

Sean chuckled. "So, it wasn't because of that dude you seem intent on seeing every night?"

Error almost spat out her coffee. Her entire face seemed to turn bright red. What did he mean by that? Why would he ask that, other to be an asshole? "No, not because of him, you soggy piece of toast."

He cleared his throat, and said, "You know, Andi's...anniversary...is coming up."

Error froze. She had forgotten all about that while she had to help Host. "Four years? Already? It seems like...almost yesterday he was here. Sometimes, I feel like he's about to walk through the door again." She stared at the door. It really felt as if he was going to walk through with donuts or some other sweet treat. "Not a day goes by where I don't miss him."

Sean gently patted her shoulder, as if she was made of glass. "I miss him too. But...we both have to stay strong. For him."

Error sighed. "You can go now. I have work to catch up on." She watched as Sean walked away. It's been four years. Four years since that stupid mistake and that stupid accident. At least she still had Sean. Sean was the absolute, knowing when the jokes would be enough and he had to be serious.

She took a long sip of her coffee and got to work. She managed to catch back up with what had happened in the morning. Hours flew by and she was off of work. She slipped on her helmet and rode off on her bike.

She had decided to stop by the newspaper stand on the way home. Sometimes, you just needed to read the paper before anything else. But as she looked through it, something strange caught her eye. She saw a man, sharply dressed in a suit, seemingly surrounded by floating objects. What was stranger was that he looked just like Host? 

She stuffed the paper in her bag and kept riding home. A million thoughts ran through her head. Who was he? Why did he look like her friend? Was there something more to it? To everything? She thought about it all the way home. What she didn't see was someone watching her. Someone...familiar.

She walked in through the door of her apartment and was hit with a delicious smell. She walked into her kitchen and found Host, cooking dinner in her 'kiss the scientist' apron. She snickered at the sight. He seemed to not notice her as he pulled a pan of lasagna out of the oven. She stalked over and said, "Didn't know you were a cook." 

Host froze a little bit, then nervously responded, "I just thought it would be a good thank you. For letting me stay here."

"So...what'd you make? I'm hungry from all that work I did." She sounded sarcastic. She didn't really do too much hard work, but she knew some people that would say otherwise.

"Just lasagna...it was really the only thing I could make with what you had." Host shrugged, taking off the oven mitts he had on. 

Error laughed. She didn't really get any food that had to really be cooked. She got short, five minute meals that could be prepared quickly and easily. "Well, I guess we'll have to go out and get more."

Host stared at her. "We?" He asked quietly.

"Yes, we. Unless you're...not staying here any longer," she said, looking down at her boots. It was no lie, she had wanted him to stay longer. Maybe to share the space where Andi had been. He would usually come over for weeks at a time because he was routinely kicked out of any apartment he had. It was a space she wanted to be filled.

"...Don't worry, Error. I'm staying." Host softly said.

Error's face lit up. "Then let's eat."


	5. Dinner and a Show

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Sean drops by.

As Error sat down to eat, she checked her phone. There was a couple of texts from Sean. 'Hey, when exactly are you going to show me to your lil friend ;)' was what he had sent. She sent back a quick reply with some choice language. Of course, he probably was asleep or just playing video games. When Host set down the plate in front of her, she suddenly realized just how hungry she really was. She didn't eat much during the day, so she was famished.

She began to dig into the food. It was...way better than her own cooking. But her usual cooking was just cereal anyway, so that didn't mean anything. She ate like she had been starved of food for a week, and Host just watched as she ate. He wasn't exactly hungry. He was a god, so partaking in food was more of a luxury than a necessity. He smiled a little bit. It was so nice to see her a bit happier, but it was mostly because of the food. His mind had wandered back to their conversation.

Why had she looked sad when she thought he was leaving? He didn't understand at all. He picked at his food as she scarfed her's down. Was it because of Andi? Maybe she was just lonely. He looked over her face which was covered in sauce. Yeah, that makes two of us. He finally took a bite of his food. Two lonely souls just sharing one dinner. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to stay here. He could just forget everything else and be here.

Error looked up at him. "Anything on your mind, Host?" she asked, her mouth half full with lasagna.

He looked startled. "Sorry, just lost in thought."

She swallowed her food. "Getting lost in thought is dangerous. Especially in your position."

He nodded. That was true, getting lost in his thought could lead to dangerous things. Like almost ending the world. He shook the thought from his head. It was a good thing Error had come along. He wondered how she knew he would be up there. He realized that the knocked down doors may have been a sign that this wasn't a natural rainstorm.

"Earth to Host, come in Host," Error said, leaning across the table and waving a hand in front of his face. "Taking a trip to the moon, buddy?" She chuckled and sat back.

"Sorry, I have a lot on my mind," he muttered, eating another bite of lasagna.

"Yeah, you always do." She sighed and got up. As she washed off her plate, she hummed a little song. She seemed to be happier, and she was much, much happier. Her hips swayed as she walked around and cleaned up. She put the rest of the lasagna, so she had something to eat tomorrow for lunch. 

Host got up and stretched. "What time is it?" he asked, although he should have probably known the answer. Error glanced at her phone.

"About 10:00 pm," she said, taking Host's plate and washing it off in the sink. "I'll be heading to bed soon if Sean doesn't come over, that is. He seems to make me stay up a lot longer than I sh--"

There was a knock at the door. Error turned to face the door. "Speak of the goddamn devil, it's him." She walked over and opened the door, seeing Sean standing there with a shit-eating grin on his face. She had the unmistakable urge to smack him in the face, but she resisted that urge and stepped aside. He entered and walked over to Host. "You must be Error's new friend." He stuck out his hand.

"I wouldn't say 'new', it's been th--"

"Host say one more word and I'm going to make you sleep in a closet," Error said as she walked past them to the fridge. She got out a bottle of water and tossed it to Sean. "You're a fucking fuck, you know that, right, Sean?" She closed the fridge door and leaned against it. "It's ten at night. Why aren't you playing your little games or asleep."

Sean looked very fakily offended. "Excuse me, is that what you think I do all day? I'll have you know I have hobbies."

Error put her hands on her hips. "Like what, Mr. 'Did you hear about the new Fallout coming out soon?'"

"I- Well- I-" Sean started to stammer, his face turning a bit red. "Like I need to be called out by Miss Robot over here." He put his hands on his own hips, mimicking Error. "'Oh, IIIIIII'm Error, I know everything about everything! I like to play video games in seeeecreeeeeet cause I'm a neeeerd.'" He started to laugh. Error also started to laugh.

Host just looked at what was going on. "Why are you here?" he asked Sean. Sean turned to look at him.

"I just wanted to hang out with Error a bit. We used to do this like...every night." He walked over and put an arm around Error's shoulder. "Just two buddies bein' buds."

Error pushed him off. "There's leftover lasagna in the fridge if you want any. I know you don't cook anything other than ramen."

Sean, once again, put a fake expression of shock on. "Me? Not a fine diner of the finest cuisines? How dare you speak about me like that." He put his hand to his chest and turned his face away.

"Go home Sean, and steal the lasagna while you're at it." She was going to have to pack something else for lunch, but she didn't really care that much. She took out the lasagna and shoved it into his arms. Sean smiled.

"See ya later, Robinson."

"Later, Seen."

After Sean left, Error got ready for bed. She flopped into bed and made sure her alarm was extra loud. She wasn't going to be late again. At least, she hoped she wouldn't be late again.


End file.
